Ibrahim Zadran hit Afghanistan’s first Cricket World Cup century as they racked up 291-5 against Australia in a group match in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Afghanistan’s highest World Cup score, 288 against the West Indies at Headingley in 2019, was built around the opener, who is 21 years old, scoring 129 runs without being out.
Another thing that happened was that Australia had to chase a record number of runs. The most they had ever scored as the second batting team to win a World Cup match was 287 against New Zealand in a Chennai quarterfinal in 1996.
And they will have to score those runs without their star batter Steve Smith, who is out because he has vertigo.
Australia had a hard time getting wickets at first after losing the toss in a game that a win would have guaranteed them a spot in the semi-finals.
But they mostly kept Afghanistan in check until Zadran and Rashid Khan (35 not out) shared an unbroken stand of 58 in 28 balls. Afghanistan was in the running for the semifinals after winning four of their last seven games.
Mitchell Starc was hurt because Rashid hit him for two sixes in the last over. The first one went over long off, and the second one, even though Rashid was crouching, went high over square leg.
Starc finished with a costly 1-70 in nine overs, while Josh Hazlewood, who bowled with the new ball, took 2-39 in nine.
When Zadran got to 100, he hit Starc high over the legside in a very good way.
After that, he hit Australia’s captain Pat Cummins for another well-hit six. Afghanistan was trying to get another famous scalp after beating the tournament’s current champions, England, as well as Pakistan, the winners in 1992, and Sri Lanka, the winners in 1996.
After a stand of 83 runs off 100 balls with Zadran, Australia took two wickets in the 25th over. Rahmat Shah easily chipped recalled spinner Glenn Maxwell to long-off to end the stand.
Starc yorked the in-form Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi for 26 when he tried to speed up. Azmatullah Omarzai then made a quick 22 with two sixes.i
After 131 balls, including seven fours, Zadran hit his fifth hundred in 27 one-day internationals. It was a risky run off Hazlewood that turned into two when a throw at the stumps went off target.
